A Wounded Ranger
by Bralt
Summary: What happens when Halt scares Will? It isn't angsty but somebody does get hurt. There is a little grim humor. Rated T for the injury.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

A Wounded Ranger

Halt leaned against the trunk of the tree Will was aiming at. He was invisible to the boy's eyes. He looked at his apprentice with pride. Will's shots were a little wide but his speed was improving and he could draw the arrow back with ease. It was the week after he had gotten Will and there was plenty of time to fix the aim. He continued to watch. Will's shots were becoming wilder as time went on due to exhaustion. Maybe it was time to stop him.

"Will!" Halt stepped out of the shadows and his apprentice jumped.

That wasn't the best approach. Will was so startled that he acted instinctually and drew back an arrow and fired. Sadly, this was the only time Will's shot didn't go to wide. The arrow landed in Halt's left shoulder. As Halt let out a cry and tried to remove the arrow, Will hurried over and started panicking.

"Halt! I'm so so so so so sorry! I was startled and I didn't notice it was you! Are you okay?" Will couldn't keep still and kept trying to help pull the arrow out but Halt kept slapping his hand away.

"Of course I'm not alright! You shot me with an arrow! They aren't exactly soft on the end." Halt succeeded in pulling out the arrow and grunted in pain as it came out. The blood died the shoulder of his cloak scarlet.

"What can I do?" Will looked at his mentor helplessly.

"You can get out of my way so I can get to the house and clean this up," Halt said shoving his apprentice aside. Will followed behind. "Get your bow and meet me inside." Will nodded and turned away heading back to where he had shot from.

Halt went inside and got out the first aid kit. He sat at the table with a wet rag and cleaned up the wound through the hole that the arrow had created when he pulled it free. He grimaced as the rag touched the wound and cleaned it. He wrapped his shoulder and made sure that the bandage could be easily removed and replaced.

Will shuffled in looking ashamed and Halt looked up at him. He had finished with his shoulder and was moving it. He couldn't move it much. Whenever he moved it, a wave of pain went through the entire arm and he felt blood soak the bandage.

"Are you going to be okay? Does it hurt? Can I help?" Will leaned his bow against the wall and walked over to his mentor with a worried look on.

"I've lived through worse. It hurts like the devil but I suppose that's better than feeling nothing at all." Halt sighed. He wouldn't be using a bow anytime soon. "You can keep your mouth shut about this. If Crowley finds out, I'll be put on the disabled list until it heals." Will nodded.

"Will I still be a Ranger?" Will didn't want to sound selfish but the past week had turned out pretty well and it beat the farm life.

"It's so kind of you to worry about me like you do," Halt said sarcastically. "Just make me some coffee."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Chapter 2: A Surprising Guest

When Will had made Halt his coffee and sat down across from him with his own cup, Will couldn't help feeling guilty at the sight of his mentor. Halt had put on new clothes and you couldn't see the wound but Will imagined the ugly hole underneath his mentor's shirt.

"Why are you grimacing? I'm the one who got shot," Halt said while taking a sip from his mug.

Will immediately put on a neutral face. Then a thought struck him. "Halt? What are you going to do if you have to shoot an arrow?"

"Redmont hasn't had any crimes lately so I think I'll be just fine. And the rest of the world seems to be in peace with us so I doubt we'll need to do anything. I figure I'll be shooting again in two weeks." Halt grimaced as he shifted into a more comfortable position.

"What if Crowley needs you for something? What if something does happen? What if you die because you can't shoot an arrow?" Will took a breath for more questions but stopped as he saw Halt take a breath to say something.

"What happens if my apprentice is quiet for a minute? I personally think that the day you stop asking questions will be the day the world ends."

Will wisely kept his mouth shut. Soon there was a knock on the door. Halt looked up. "I'm surprised you didn't here Crowley coming. Go open the door for our dear friend." Will got up and walked to the door. Before he made it halfway, Halt said something. "And remember, I was never injured." Will gave a nod of understanding.

Crowley burst in before Will could open the door. He smiled at Halt and nodded towards Will.

"I need you for something," Crowley said sitting down in Will's chair and finishing off his coffee.

"You know it's considered rude to barge into somebody's house and ask them to do something before saying hello." Halt put a protective arm around his coffee so Crowley wouldn't finish his also.

"Hi Halt. I need you for something," Crowley said cheerfully.

Halt sighed. "I suppose that's the best you can do. What do you need?" Halt felt panic rising inside his chest.

"There's been a group robbing a nearby fief and they were last seen heading around the east of Redmont. I suspect they'll start robbing here soon. You need to make sure that their little stealing spree is stopped here." Crowley smiled again.

"Umm Crowley?" Will said sitting down at his right. "Will we need to shoot the robbers?" Halt shot Will a warning look.

"If you're asking if you need a bow, then the answer is yes. But don't worry; Halt will do all the shooting, as I've heard your shots tend to go a little wide." Crowley grinned again.

"When do you suppose they'll start robbing here?" Halt asked cutting Will off before he let their secret out. He was getting a little nervous.

"In about a day. Yesterday I saw them camped out on the east border. It seemed like they were getting everything set up." Crowley looked at Halt. "Is that a problem? If it is I'm sure I could just wait until they rob Redmont dry and move on. The Ranger in the next fief would be only too happy to stop them I'm sure."

"You know, Crowley, I'm getting tired of these pathetic jokes you try to make." Halt rolled his eyes. "I'll stop them." He looked at Will so the boy knew not to interrupt. Crowley didn't notice.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Chapter 3: Discovery

The bandits had started their raids a day after and Halt had convinced Crowley to help them. The raids started at the farms on the very outskirts of town and then, as the bandits got braver and bolder, the raids started happening in the village. The blacksmith had beaten a few bandits out but the butcher had some hides stolen. Right now, Crowley, Halt and Will were watching the bandits as they snuck around town trying to pick out a good place to hit and run. The moon shone down and helped hide the Rangers as the bandits passed by them.

"Halt! Go and shoot them already! You don't have to kill them just scare them!" Crowley whispered forcefully.

"I don't have a great shot Crowley! You shoot," Halt whispered back hoarsely.

"I need you to do it! I have to go and grab them. And we both know you're the better shot." Crowley continued. The party of bandits was almost past them.

"I don't have a good shot," Halt whispered stubbornly. His shoulder throbbed even when he didn't move it.

"Fine! If I shoot them, you'll have to go and tie them all up. I rather do that because we all know about your short temper," Crowley said while slipping his bow off his back and aimed.

Will sat behind the older men in the shadows of a house. He smiled at how Halt got out of shooting. He had been acting weird for the past day and Will was sure Crowley had noticed. Will figured that Crowley would find out soon enough but he wasn't going to be the one who told him about Halt's shoulder.

"Drop your weapons and get down! I am a King's Ranger! I said get down!" Halt shouted at the bandits. Immediately there was the sound of dropping weapons and bodies sinking to the ground. "Will! Come help me tie these cowards up!"

Will got up and walked towards Halt. As he passed Crowley, the commander stopped him.

"What's up with Halt? He's been acting strange. Did anything happen?" Crowley looked at Will compelling him to answer truthfully.

"I don't know Crowley. I think he's just a little tired," Will lied and walked away.

"Tie their hands up and attach them to a lead rope. There's at least twenty so make sure none make a run for it. I made sure they're all disarmed," Halt said as Will got to him.

"Okay. I think Crowley's onto you. He just asked me if anything was wrong. I lied and told him you were tired," Will said as he took the rope from Halt.

"Halt! I need to talk to you!" Crowley called.

Halt sighed and walked towards him while Will tied up the bandits. This was going to be bad. Halt couldn't avoid the subject any longer. He had been acting weird and out of character the past day and Crowley had caught on.

"Halt, is there anything wrong? You seem different," Crowley said sympathetically.

"No need to be worried Crowley. I'm just tired. The day Will discovered coffee was the day I stopped getting a peaceful sleep," Halt said hearing the sympathetic voice.

"That's not it. You didn't shoot at the bandits and you didn't tie them up. Both of those activities wouldn't take too much energy. Besides, it's for the good of your fief. And no matter how tired you have ever been, I have never seen you make others do your work." Crowley looked at Halt skeptically. Halt sighed.

"I suppose I can't hide it anymore." _Now would be a good time for Will to finish _Halt thought. But Will was only on the fifth bandit. He sighed again. "I have been wounded."

"Just a little cut Halt? That's no reason for you to be so lazy!" Crowley said.

Halt pushed back his cloak and tugged the neck of his shirt down so the arrow puncture was visible. Crowley gasped in shock. The wound was actually looking worse than it was at the moment. Halt hadn't been able to change the bandage without Crowley getting suspicious so all the blood the wound had lost in the past day was soaking the white linen a scarlet red.

"What happened?" Crowley shouted shocked. Will stopped and looked over and some of the bandits looked up confused. Will shrugged and continued his task.

"I was watching Will from behind a tree and when I stepped out, I startled him. He reacted instinctually and shot. This was the only time his shot didn't go wide and it hit me in the shoulder." Halt stopped and thought for a moment. "Now that I think about it, his shot probably did go wide. He was probably aiming for my heart." Crowley didn't smile.

"Halt, can you shoot a bow?" Crowley said seriously.

"Of course I can!" Halt said.

"Prove it."

"I can't. If I shoot an arrow, my shoulder will rip open and pour blood everywhere," Halt mumbled.

"Then you can't shoot. Halt, you're hereby put on the DL until your shoulder heals."

"But I can't sit around for two weeks!" Halt protested.

"Good because with that wound it looks like it hit muscle. You'll be sitting around for at least a month." Crowley walked away to help Will.

Halt muttered a few choice words as his commander walked away. Crowley smiled as he got to Will for he had heard the words and filed some away for future reference.


End file.
